Winter Break
by sarah-msu
Summary: Bella is off school for winter break and the Cullens invite her to their cabin for vacation. She and Edward enjoy some quality time...
1. Chapter 1

**I wanted to see if I could properly write Bella and Edward and this is what came out…**

**Not sure of the timeline, it's before Edward agreed to change Bella, and I guess they're off school for Winter Break in December.**

**The cabin is one of the many houses that the Cullens own. The family came here to enjoy a different hunting ground and invited Bella along to spend her vacation outside of Forks. The Cullens have gone out hunting and Edward stayed at the cabin to be with Bella…**

"Bella, what are you thinking?" His words were barely audible in the black of night. I sighed at the window and watched the warmth of my breath create a soft fog across the glass before being overcome by the cold. "Isabella, _please_…" Even after all this time the silence of my mind was still physically painful for him. I moved from the window and as I crossed the room he shifted his position to accommodate me. I slid down into his stone embrace and he began rocking us back and forth as he stroked my hair.

"I don't know what I was thinking, just random stuff I guess."

"What is 'random stuff' exactly?" He smiled as he slid his hand down the length of my arm, raising a path of gooseflesh.

"How many days until we have to go back?" As I said this I gazed around the enormous room, finally resting my eyes on the brilliant Christmas tree illuminating the entire length of the wall.

"Is that what's bothering you? Relax Bella; we still have plenty of time. Besides, we can always take an extended vacation, so really, we can stay as long as you like." He toyed absently with my hand, gently pulling at my fingers and intertwining them with his. I watched our hands together and marveled at how amazingly lucky I was. I was sitting in the lap of the most gorgeous creature on this earth, and not only did I adore him utterly and completely, but he seemed to reciprocate those exact feelings. Unfathomable. "You've been so quiet today, I thought you were just tired. But if you're bored we can certainly leave earlier than I'd planned…" I wasn't about to let him finish…

"No! I don't want to leave _early_! I want to stay here with you!" I was suddenly terrified at the thought of leaving what had become our little piece of frozen heaven. For the last week this cottage had been an icy fairytale, just Edward and I, lost together in what was truly a winter wonderland. His family was here as well, but I had hardly seen them; only catching a glimpse when they came back to the cottage to get new clothes before going out to hunt again. Carlisle said that an unusual migration path had come their way and they didn't want to miss out on any of the 'fun.'

"Well I guess that answers that," he chuckled. "What's wrong then? You've been too quiet today, there has to be something that's bothering you." He lifted my chin to meet my eyes. "Tell me. Whatever it is. Tell me."

"Well," I didn't even know how to begin, we had flirted around the edges of this discussion for months and I had never even come close to actually saying the words out loud. After a few seconds of chaotic thought I gave up and lowered my eyes to stare at the button on his shirt.

"Yes?" He encouraged, lifting my chin again.

"If I wanted something, would you give it to me?" I thought this would be the best way to start; perhaps his insane love of doting on me would soften him to my request.

"Something you want? Of course I would give it to you. Anything. Everything. All you have to do is ask Bella." His eyes were glowing eagerly, I imagined he was running through the possibilities of my request in his mind, but he wouldn't guess this one.

"I want…well…I was wondering if maybe…if we could maybe…revisit a previous discussion." That didn't even make sense to me, but it was all I could come up with without actually coming out and saying it.

"What discussion?" He was smiling, but I could tell he was being cautious, waiting for me to surprise him with something impossible, no doubt.

"Well…the discussion about me…being like you." It came out as only a mumbled whisper but Edward's sensitive ears heard every word as if I had screamed them at him. He was instantly tense and his hands left my wrists where they had been running up and down the length of my bluish veins.

"Bella no. You know it's out of the question. Why do you keep pushing this when you know that I have to say no?" He sighed as he leaned his head against the back of the rocking chair and closed his eyes.

I knew it was a bad idea and I silently loathed myself for bringing up the subject yet again. There was no use in trying to reason with him when he wouldn't even look at me. I began to feel awkward as I sat uncomfortably now in his lap, his arms no longer holding me, but instead grasping the arms of the rocking chair perhaps a little too hard. His head was still lifted toward the ceiling with his dark lids closed. As I sat there I could feel emotion behind my eyes. I wasn't mad, but embarrassment and rejection was sinking in and the harder I tried to banish the irrational feelings the stronger they became. Finally I felt tears begin to form and I hurried to wipe them away before they could come out with full force. Of course Edward focused his attention back to me the second that I moved my hand.

"Are you crying?" He sounded almost as if he were in pain; like someone was cutting off his air supply and he couldn't breathe.

"No," I lied trying feebly to remove the pathetic moisture. He caught my hand and without breaking his gaze on my face he leaned to lick the back of my hand. As he tasted my tears he looked like he was savoring the most exquisite flavor. He put a hand to my face and brushed away a new tear that was sliding down my cheek with his thumb. He glided his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Bella," he whispered in my ear, "I always seem to hurt you when I'm trying to keep you safe." His free hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer still while he heavily breathed in the scent of my hair. "Ask me for something else. Anything else, and I'll happily oblige." He said this as he began to rock us back and forth again in slow lazy motions. "It will be Christmas in a couple of weeks, tell me what you want, anything at all and it's yours."

I leaned my head against his marble chest as he rested his cheek on the top of my head. "I feel like I'm ten."

"Pardon?" He raised his head and gave me a quizzical look.

"I'm sitting on your lap, we're in a rocking chair, there's a Christmas tree in the corner and you want me to tell you the presents I want."

"Ahhh I see," he sighed, resting his cheek back on top of my head, "and I suppose that would make me Santa Claus then wouldn't it?" he mused.

"Well you're not exactly jolly…or fat…or old."

"Not old? How long must one exist for you to consider them old Bella?"

"But you don't _look_ old…that's what I meant."

"And you don't look ten, although you're certainly not _old_ by any meaning of the word."

I sighed and melted to the shape of his chest. "But I will be, soon enough I'll be too old to be with you. I might as well die."

"Bella!" He scolded me in a whisper, "How could you say that? What a terribly desolate place the universe would be without your presence."

"Whatever." I knew he was teasing me now. In a minute he would successfully change the subject and be careful enough to never bring up another opportunity for us to return to the discussion.

After a few minutes of rocking in his arms my leg slid to touch the floor and I shivered at the sudden cold. I felt and heard Edward catch his breath as I trembled against him. It always amazed me that simple things like that could earn such a reaction from him. I had sneezed yesterday while we were outside and he almost went into a frenzy. It took me several minutes to convince him that I wasn't having some sort of seizure. But it was his over protectiveness of me that was part of the reason that I loved him so much, even if it did prevent me from making _any_ progress on my dream of immortality. I knew in a moment he would pull me away from his icy body so I pressed myself to him even harder, but of course it didn't work and our bodies separated as he lifted me up and carried me to the bedroom.

He set me down gently in front of the bathroom and handed me my pajamas and my bag of toiletries. "Thanks, I'll only be a second."

"I'll be waiting." He spoke so reverently that it made me catch my breath. He was staring into my eyes and I couldn't help the lump that was rising in my throat. I was getting nervous. Of course we wouldn't _do_ anything, but he had said those words with meaning and it made me shiver. "You're cold Bella," he whispered without taking his eyes off mine. "Go get warm, and then come back to me."

I didn't know if I could keep breathing and he wanted me to _walk_? Somehow I managed to look away from his smoldering eyes long enough to breathe. "Okay…" I turned around and stumbled my way into the bathroom, bumping into the doorframe and dropping my things on the counter top. I heard Edward's soft laughter as I closed the bathroom door and wondered fiercely what he was thinking about.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay – I wasn't expecting anyone to even read my stuff, but when I got all those reviews I was SO happy!! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my story, I'm glad you liked it and it's because of those reviews that I decided to write another chapter, I didn't think it was going to be anything more than a oneshot.**

I turned on the water immediately and undressed while I waited for it to get warm. When I stepped into the stream of water I gasped aloud, not expecting it to be so incredibly hot. Not two seconds after, I heard Edward's voice, anxious, on the other side of the door, "Bella? Are you alright?"

I managed to cool the water while I reassured him, "Yeah, it's fine, the water was just hotter than I expected. I'll be out in a minute." I listened for the sound of him moving away from the door, but of course, I heard nothing. I began to lather my hair with freesia scented shampoo. It was silly, but this was the only way that I could smell what Edward claimed to smell every time he was near me. After I stepped out of the shower I took the time to blow dry my hair thoroughly. I had learned that sleeping next to Edward's icy skin with a wet head nearly guaranteed a cold in the morning. Of course I didn't tell him that; I simply told him that I didn't like my pillow to be damp from my wet hair at night. I was pleased that he seemed to accept my excuse without question.

As I slowly opened the bathroom door I saw that Edward had turned on the gas fireplace on the far side of the massive room and the covers were pulled down on the bed. By the light of the fireplace I could see that he wasn't in the room with me. I frowned at this, but surely he had only stepped out for a moment and would be back quickly. I stood next to the colossal bed, preparing myself for the jump I would have to make to get on top of it. Of all the beds, Edward had naturally picked the highest one for me to sleep in. He had lifted me up onto the bed every night since we had come here and now I knew I would make a fool of myself trying to scale the side of it without his help. I grabbed at the blankets and tried to lift myself, but it was no use. The top of the bed was above my waste and I would need an extra few inches to be able to climb on top of it.

As I stood next the bed, contemplating whether I should wait for Edward or just go get a suitcase from the closet to stand on, I felt something cold brush against my foot and then an icy hand grabbed my ankle. Of course I screamed before I realized what it was, and I heard a gentle laugh in response. "Shhh Bella, it's only me," came from underneath the bed as he released my ankle.

"Edward? What are you doing under there?" I kneeled down and lifted the blankets to see him lying on his side, smiling at me.

"While you were asleep last night, you said something about hiding under the bed." I tried to think of what I had dreamt last night. I vaguely remembered something about a festival, or a carnival, and a monster chasing me, maybe it was a clown? That was probably it; I was chased by a clown and hid under the bed to hide from it. But that still didn't explain why the love of my life was now lying under the bed.

"And…" I answered him with a raised eyebrow.

"And I wanted to see what it was like," he stated matter-of-factly.

"See what _what_ was like?" At this point I had gotten down on the floor and slid myself underneath the bed next to him. "Good lord, now I see why the bed is like 20 feet too high, why is there so much space under here? I can almost sit up without hitting my head!" Edward chuckled and pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on the front of my shoulder. After a few moments I began to get cold and uncomfortable on the hard floor. I looked down at Edward but he seemed utterly content to be lying underneath the bed. "So remind me again why we're sleeping _underneath_ the bed instead of on top of it?"

"I just wanted to see what it was like," he said softly as he released his hold on me and slid me with one hand to the edge of the bed. "In your dream you seemed to think it was some sort of protection, but I can't really see what it would protect you against."

He had already stood up from the other side of the bed and was immediately standing next to me, waiting to help me up.

"Well it doesn't really do anything against _real_ danger," I tried to explain as he lifted me off the floor and smoothed out my hair. I put my hands on his shoulders as he gently held my waste and lifted me up to sit me on the edge of the bed. "It's more of an imaginary thing." I let go of his shoulders and crawled up to the head of the bed and curled under the massive blankets. By the time I had covered myself and turned on my side he was already lying still beside me, his arm outstretched to hold me as I snuggled closer to him.

"So you hide under the bed to protect yourself from _imaginary_ things?" He sounded so serious, I looked up to examine his face in the light of the fire.

"Why are you so curious about this?"

He shifted next to me and looked away from my intent gaze. "Well…I just wanted to know…." He was starring at my pillow and refusing to look at my eyes. I wiggled my hand free of the blankets and pulled at his chin so he would look at me again. I gave a small smile and ran my thumb across his chin to encourage him to continue. He hesitantly looked down at me and then took a breath, "I just wanted to know what was so special about the bottom of a bed that you thought it could protect you against anything better than I could." The words came out in a rush and he immediately removed his eyes from my confused look. It took me a minute to actually understand what he had said, and another minute to process it.

"So…you think I hide under the bed…because I'm scared of something that you can't protect me from?" He gave a slight nod, still refusing to look at me. "And you're…jealous…that I think the bed can save me…from something that you can't?" I almost didn't get the entire sentence out, I was about to be overcome with laughter. His only reply was another quick nod. Finally I couldn't help myself; I burst out with hysterical laughter. Edward looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"What is so funny about that?"

"Ahahaha!!! *gasp* Edward *gasp* you think I hide under the bed?? *gasp*"

"Well that's what you said last night in your dream!"

"Well, yeah I _used_ to hide under the bed, when I was like, _five_! I can't believe you're jealous of a bed!" Edward just stared at me for a moment, and then a small smile crept onto his face.

"So you don't need anything else to protect you then, besides me of course?"

"No Edward," I managed to stop laughing and closed the hated space between our bodies as I snuggled deeply into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and began to stroke my hair. "You're all the protection I'd ever need or want." I felt him smile as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "But I think you might need some extra protection yourself," I said with a smile.

"Ha! What would _I_ need protection from?" He asked in an arrogant, sexy tone.

"Well someone is going to have to kill Emmett after I tell him that, not only did I find you hiding under the bed, but that you also admitted to being jealous of that same bed. You know he'll never let you forget about this." I grinned widely as I felt him tighten his grip on me and let out a low, menacing, and unbelievably sexy growl.

"Now Bella, what must I do to keep you quiet? I would pay infinitely to keep that information between you and I."

"Hmm, I don't know if I'd accept payment, it might be too much fun watching you suffer under Emmett's incessant teasing." I knew he was just playing along with me, he and I both knew that I would never give Emmett ammunition to tease anyone. If I ever did, he would most likely find some way to turn the joke around on me, and I couldn't risk giving him _extra_ things to tease me about.

"Bella, I never realized you were so calculating and manipulative," I could feel him pulling his hands back and removing his arms from my waste. "Perhaps I'll just have to exploit your one weakness?"

"_One_ weakness?" I scoffed at him, "Which one exactly?" Before I had finished speaking he rolled me over on my back and was tickling my sides with his inhuman speed. I was laughing so hard I couldn't speak, so I just closed my eyes and squirmed and thrashed under him until he finally slowed to let me catch my breath.

When I opened my eyes he was kneeling over me and I gasped at his close proximity. He slowly layed on top of me, careful not to let me feel any of his weight, and rested his head down over my heart. It had slowed its hysteric beating, but had quickly picked up speed when I opened my eyes and saw him over me. Now it was beating faster than ever as the newness of our position swept over me. "Calm down Bella," he whispered, "what ever would I do if you had a heart attack right here in front of me?" I closed my eyes and tried unsuccessfully to relax. "It sounds like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest…why are you so excited?"

"Like you don't know," I scolded him as a furious blush flooded my face.

"Hmm, perhaps it's best if I remove myself from you then…"

"No I'm alright!" I very nearly shouted at him as he started to roll off of me.

"Relax love, you should be sleeping now anyway. I've been shamelessly distracting you."

"I don't care if you distract me." I pleaded as he shifted onto his side and pulled me into his embrace.

"Shh Bella, try to sleep, and tomorrow, I'll have a surprise for you."

"Oh sure, tell me to sleep and then tell me you've got a surprise. Now I'll _definitely_ go to sleep," I said sarcastically. He chuckled quietly and began to hum my lullaby. I tucked my head under and pressed my lips to his throat as I rested my face against his neck. "Edward, you know you can't always get me to shut up just by humming to me," I said softly. He stopped humming and bent his head to look at me.

"Bella!" He whispered harshly, "I would never want you to _shut up_!" He sounded like I had insulted him by even suggesting such a thing.

"Well, why do you always want me to go to sleep then?" I waited curiously for his answer. I had often wondered why he was always insisting that I fall asleep.

He gave me a small smile and gently kissed the top of my head. "Because my love, the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you'll wake up again. I suppose I'm just overly eager to be with you when you're conscious."

I took a moment to think over his reply, "Oh, well that's okay then," was all I could think to say. He pulled me even closer to him and breathed deeply into my hair. I snuggled as far into his neck as I could and prepared for sleep to drift over me. "Edward?" I whispered.

"Hmm?" I felt the vibration of his simple reply through his throat.

"Aren't you going to sing?"

He chuckled lightly, "Of course my sweet, I'll always sing you to sleep." And then I heard the soft humming of my lullaby as I felt the sensation through his throat. It didn't take long for sleep to come…


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up suddenly, feeling nervous and lost, like I didn't know where I was. The fire was too low to offer any light to my weak eyes, so I began searching for him with my hands. I crawled over to the other side of the massive bed, but there was nothing to be found. "Edward?" I whispered cautiously, it wasn't like him to leave me alone in the dark. "Edward?!" I called him more forcefully this time, fear seeping into my voice. I saw a beam of light as the bedroom door was opened and I scrambled to get off the bed. In the midst of my irrational panic, I forgot how close I was to the edge of the bed and fell off it, landing on the hardwood floor on my back. I cried out in pain as my head hit the floor, but it was only for a second and then cold hands were carefully picking me up and putting me back on the bed. "Edward? Is that you?" I whispered.

"No Bella dear, it's Esme. I'm sorry I scared you." Suddenly the hands were removed from me and the lamp at the far end of the room turned on, filling the room with a soft glow of light. I saw Esme race back to me and stand next to the bed with an anxious look. "Are you alright Bella? Should I go find Carlisle?" She spoke to me in such a motherly tone, I found myself wanting to call her 'mom.'

"No Esme I'm fine, I was just surprised. Where's Edward?"

"Emmett, Rosalie and I came back a little early to give him a chance to hunt, and Alice and Jasper will be along shortly." I immediately felt guilty for keeping Edward to myself this whole time, not only had I been keeping him from his family, I'd been keeping him from his food.

"I guess I didn't realize he needed to hunt already, he's getting better at hiding that from me."

"Well he doesn't want you to worry about him losing control because he's hungry, so he'd rather not bother you with it."

"Why not? I bother him with _my_ need for food at least three times every day. I think he deserves to do the same thing to me every two weeks." Esme just smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

"Don't worry about it Bella. He'll be back in the morning and while he's gone we'll be here to watch over you." And with that she floated out of the room, turning off the soft light as she went, but leaving the door cracked behind her. Esme really was the perfect mother, she even knew when to leave a night light for a silly human girl who was irrationally scared without a pair of strong, cold arms holding her while she slept.

I tossed and turned for what felt like hours when I finally gave up and got out of bed in search of something to help me sleep. As I was rummaging through my bags I heard a light knock at the door. "Edward?" I asked tentatively.

"Nope, guess again!" I heard the light and eager voice as Alice appeared in front of me. "You didn't pack anything that will help you go back to sleep."

"Thanks Alice," I grumbled as I started to make my way back to the bed. Alice danced along beside me.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Well, I'm thinking you lift me while I jump and we'll be able to get me back on this thing." I said, motioning toward the enormous bed.

"No Bella!" She giggled fiercely, "now that you're _awake_, what do you want to do?"

"Um, go back to bed?" I was confused, I wasn't sure what time it was, but it was still dark outside so I knew it was too early for me to be thinking coherently.

"Bella…" she sighed and rolled her eyes, "you're not going to be able to go back to sleep." I opened my mouth to protest, but she lightly tapped her forehead, signaling me that she had already seen this in the future and I wouldn't be able to change it. I looked at the bed longingly and gave up with a defeated sigh.

"Alright Alice…" I yawned, "whatever you say." I stepped into my slippers and followed her out of my room.

As we walked down the hallway I wondered why Alice was walking next to me instead of speeding ahead, then suddenly I heard a loud crash and instinctively grabbed onto Alice. She looked at me and smiled, "It's okay Bella, Jasper and Emmett are playing 'slap jack.' You should relax a little before you go in the living room; Jasper is feeling a little extra sensitive these days." I let go of her arm and took a few deep breaths before I asked her.

"What is 'slap jack' exactly?"

"Well," she explained eagerly, "you get a deck of cards, or in our case we usually use eight or nine decks, and anyway, you split the cards up equally among the players and then you each lay a card from your stack down one at a time on the pile in the middle. And when someone lays down a jack, you try to be the first one to slap it. It's really fun!"

She skipped into the living room ahead of me and sat down next to Jasper as she watched the game. Turning back to me before I could ask, she answered my unspoken question. "No, they won't let me play because I can see when a jack is about to be played." I laughed as she crinkled her little nose, upset at being kicked out of the game. I sat on the couch next to Esme and saw what the noise had been. She was holding two halves of what used to be the coffee table that sat in the middle of the room.

"What happened?"

She gave me a soft smile and gestured to the four vampires sitting on the floor, "Slap jack involves hitting a pile of cards, and that's unfortunate if you're the table supporting a game played by a group of superhumans with no regard for antique wood." At that moment I saw Alice perk up and Jasper shot forward. I covered my ears at the sound of Emmett and Jasper colliding head on in the middle of the floor.

"I got to it first Emmett!"

"Only because you felt Alice get excited when she saw it was coming, you're totally cheating!"

"Boys!" Esme scolded softly, "you've already killed the table. I ask that you please leave the floor boards intact." It was amazing to me how this soft reprimand from gentle Esme could have such an effect on two unimaginably strong beings. But Esme had a motherly authority in this family, and it was obvious in the way that Jasper and Emmett immediately went back to their seated positions and apologized. "Now Alice, it really _isn't_ fair for you to cheat for Jasper, so try not to get so excited the next time you see a jack coming." Alice approvingly agreed and abandoned the game, coming to sit next to me on the couch, but not before giving Jasper a soft stroke on the back of his neck. Their relationship was so deep; I always felt that simple little gestures like that were incredibly intimate and private.

"So Bella, are you excited about your surprise later today?" Alice turned her attention eagerly to me.

"Oh, I guess I had forgotten about that, what is it?"

"Are you kidding?" She looked innocently surprised that I would ask her to spill the secret, "I would _never_ ruin Edward's fun by telling his surprise."

"Yeah you're right; I wonder what I'll wear though." I looked her straight in her beautiful golden orbs and waited for her to crack. It took less than ten seconds, I know, I was counting. Jasper laughed as he felt her resolve disappear.

"Oh Bella, don't wear your big puffy coat!" She cried as if she were in pain. "Let's go pick out the perfect outfit! That's not really _telling_ you the surprise, it's just telling you how to dress and that's okay!" She yanked me up from the couch and rushed me off to her room.

"Um, Alice, my clothes are in _my_ room," I reminded her.

"Well the clothes _you _brought are in there, yes, but not the clothes that _I _brought for you."

"Alice?! You packed extra clothes for _me_?" I couldn't believe this little pixie, she was seriously insane. Only she would think to pack clothes for someone else.

"Bella don't be mad," she sighed, "I saw what you were going to pack and I just wanted to add a few things…just in case you might need them." As she tried to smooth over her most recent craziness in the name of fashion, I jumped onto her bed, which wasn't nearly as high as mine, and slid to the center to watch her throw random fabrics from the closet. It was like a shower of cloth and color, dresses and shirts and pants flying everywhere. I would have to remember to duck if she started picking shoes. "Okay I've got it!" She announced excitedly as she emerged from the closet with something long and black.

"Alice…tell me that's not a dress," I was practically begging her. It was too cold here for a dress, and if I was already cold, it would make it that much harder not to shiver if I touched Edward's icy skin.

"No silly, it's a cloak," she said matter-of-factly.

"A cloak? You mean…like a cape?" Once again, her fashion sense escaped my logic and understanding.

"Yes, like a cape, and you'll have to have something stunning on underneath it," she was mostly talking to herself at this point, rummaging through all the things she had thrown out of the closet.

"I'm…confused. Why am I wearing a cape, we've already celebrated Halloween on my planet, Alice." That got her attention and she turned to me with a patronizing smile.

"It's not a costume Bella; it's to replace your hideous puffy coat."

"But it's freezing outside, how is that one piece of fabric going to keep me warm?" I was beyond questioning her; it was ridiculous to think that this cape was going to be as warm as my arctic coat.

As if she sensed my determination, she threw the cape at me and instructed, "Put it on." I did as I was told, but as slowly as I could manage, just out of spite. But when I had it on I was surprised at how heavy it was, and I hated to admit it, but she was right, I was already hot underneath the thick fabric.

"Good god, what is this thing made out of, lead?"

"No," she giggled as she turned back to the clothes on the floor and draped over the furniture, "it's just several layers of heavy fabric and animal fur to keep in the heat. And don't worry about the weight, Edward will be carrying you so it really doesn't matter how heavy it is."

"He'll be carrying me? The _whole_ time?" My curiosity flared as I started to wonder what this surprise could be.

"Don't try to figure it out. You never will and you'll ruin it by trying to prepare for something that's not going to happen." She didn't even look up as she told me what my future would be if I attempted to guess the surprise. I sighed as I accepted the fact that I'd just have to wait.

"Alice?" I waited until she stopped sifting through the piles on the floor, "Will I like the surprise?"

A breathtakingly beautiful smile spread across her face, "Definitely."


	4. Chapter 4

After another twenty minutes of Alice playing with "Bella the dress up barbie," she finally decided on a simple ensemble and instructed me to go to the mirror to inspect her work. "Alice, is Edward's surprise taking me to a funeral?" I was dressed all in black, and of course that ridiculously heavy cape was black as well. Alice rolled her eyes and began picking up the clothes that were scattered all over the room.

"No Bella, you're not going to a _funeral_. Trust me, you won't want to be wearing bright colors, you'll want to _blend._ And another thing; stop trying to make me give you hints, it's not going to work. From this moment on, I refuse to tell you even the smallest detail about this evening; otherwise Edward will have my head."

"It's going to be tonight then?" I was suddenly so nervous and excited; having a more definite time gave me a countdown to work with.

"Oh! You didn't know that! Crap! He really _is_ going to kill me! Well that's it; not one more word!" Alice made the motion of zipping her mouth shut and nodded her head as if sealing her promise. I turned around and glanced back at the mirror; I was still unsure about this outfit of hers…

"Isabella Swan! Don't you DARE think about wearing different clothes!" Alice flew to my side and I cursed myself for wavering in my decision; now that Alice had seen my uncertainty, she would probably follow me around until the moment that Edward took me away; just to make sure I had her precious clothes on.

"Sorry Alice," I sighed, resigned to the fate that this little pixie had chosen for me. "But I'm not going to wear these clothes _all_ day," Alice opened her mouth to speak but I held up my hand, "I'm saying I'll wear them; just not until it's time for me to go with Edward." At this, Alice looked to my side and I saw her eyes become distant as she confirmed my decision. In less than a second, her eyes had refocused on my face and she smiled at me.

"Of course Bella, you'll be sleeping soon anyway and I wouldn't want you to wrinkle them."

"Sleeping? But I'm not even tired." I couldn't believe that I would want to sleep, even if I had been tired, Edward was still away and I was already getting excited about tonight. There was no way I would be able to sleep now. But Alice simply smiled at my questioning look and tapped her forehead. Of course.

"Honestly Bella, when are you going to start believing me?" She floated back to the middle of the room, laughing. She thought it was funny that I would ever doubt her; and I had to admit, she had a point. I looked around me at the small mountains of clothes and shoes thrown over every piece of furniture and covering most of the floor. It would take a normal person the better part of an hour to straighten this room. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, when I opened my eyes Alice was carrying the last of the shoes back to the closet.

"Wow. That was fast."

"Actually," I whirled around to see Jasper leaning against the door frame, "she was taking her time." He gave me a little wink, "Alice hates wrinkles."

"When it comes to clothes; wrinkles are just as bad as stains!"

"Hahah like you've ever had a _stain_!"

"Well, _almost_…and I've seen plenty of stains on her clothes and I do _not_ want to experience it myself!" Alice pointed her slender finger in my direction as I tried to sneak out of the room. Normally I suppose I would have been offended at Alice's comment about my clothes; but I couldn't argue; it was the truth. Clothes just weren't that important to me, and a few tiny stains here and there didn't really matter. Of course I would never say this to Alice though.

Jasper and Alice continued to flirtatiously argue with each other and from my perspective there was no end in sight, so I decided now was as good a time as any to "hunt" for my own breakfast. "You would dress like a southern hobo if I didn't buy – don't forget to change out of those clothes Bella! – clothes for you and tell you what to wear." I heard Alice when I reached the hallway and made a detour to my room. I quickly slipped out of the funeral attire and shoved on my sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt. I was so excited, I felt like I could stay awake for days, but I knew that by tonight I would be dead on my feet. I went to the bathroom and began rummaging through the drawers and cabinets. Alice had said that I hadn't packed anything to help me sleep, but I knew that Edward had made sure to bring his own arsenal of medications for me. He was prepared for just about any form of illness that I might have, and for anything that he hadn't covered, Carlisle had brought along in his medical bag. After a few minutes I found a small bottle in the bottom of the medicine cabinet. They were motion sickness pills that Edward had bought in the airport before this trip. He had thought they would just make me a little loopy, but within minutes I had passed out and was asleep for the majority of the flight. I tossed two of the tiny pills in my mouth and swallowed half a glass of water. As I was walking out of the bathroom, it occurred to me that I had not read the dosage amount on the label. I picked up the bottle and read the directions: _For adults, take one half pill every four hours for relief of motion sickness._ One half pill every four hours, and I had just taken two whole tablets. This was probably going to be a problem later on…

I strolled into the kitchen and found Esme at the stove. "You're not cooking for me, are you?" Esme was an amazing cook, especially for someone who didn't have the proper sense of taste, but I always felt bad that she took the time to cook just for me.

"Yes Bella, I thought you might be getting hungry by now. Is bacon and eggs okay?" My own version of breakfast involved some cereal or a granola bar, but Esme always made a balanced meal with all the proper food groups; she even added fruit.

"Um, yeah that's fine. What time is it anyway?"

"It's going on six o'clock."

"Six? In the morning?!" Esme glanced up from the frying pan at my excited tone.

"Yes dear, is something wrong?"

"Ugh. Alice got me up _way_ too early." I hadn't had nearly enough sleep and that posed a serious danger for my time with Edward tonight. I would hate to ruin his plans just because I was exhausted.

"Relax Bella. You couldn't sleep anyway. And remember, I told you that you were going to be sleeping later, didn't I?" Alice walked into the kitchen and sat at the marble island in the center of the room. I looked her over for a second, wondering what was amiss. Her appearance was almost…disheveled. Definitely _not_ normal for Alice, unless she had just…

"Ew."

"Hmph. It's not _ew_. You're just impatient to have some _ew_ with Edward." Alice flashed me a devilish smile and my face heated up. I always hated it when she talked about Edward and I doing…things. It wasn't fair that she could know when it would happen, and it was embarrassing to think that she would be able to see it. I pushed the thought from my head and decided to sit in the living room until Esme was finished with my breakfast. I heard Alice call after me, "Don't worry about it so much, it'll happen eventually, just be patient. He's not going to rush into anything."

"Enough Alice. Try to stay out of their _private_ affairs." I heard Esme gently scold Alice and I smiled; Esme was definitely on my side. I turned into the living room and found Emmett on the couch, remote in hand.

"Hey, anything on tv?"

"We've got 397 channels; 94 of them are sports channels." Emmett spoke quickly without looking up from the screen.

"Let me guess, you can't find the game?" I slid onto the opposite side of the couch from him and curled up with one of the plush pillows. I couldn't think of any game that would be on at six in the morning, but Emmett often watched international sports, and I would see him cheering for a game at almost _any_ time of day.

"Nope." He sighed and absently flung the remote at me, expecting that I'd catch it. It hit my leg and I bit my lip to keep from yelping aloud. Emmett's toss was more like a throw with some serious force behind it. I tried to be inconspicuous as I rubbed my leg and turned on the channel guide. "Are you okay?" Crap, so much for inconspicuous. I gave him my most convincing look.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I added a little too much excitement to my reassurance though. I really needed to learn how to lie. Emmett just smiled and _gently_ tossed the soft pillow from his side of the couch.

"Sorry Bella." The pillow landed close to me, but didn't touch me at all. I picked it up and added it to my pile. Emmett knew how much I loved to curl up with the giant pillows to watch tv.

"Thanks. So, since you can't watch the game, what _are_ you watching?"

"Um," Emmett shifted uncomfortably; very strange for someone who normally didn't move for hours at a time. "I don't know, I just left it on the channel that was on when I turned on the tv." I gave him a puzzled look and pushed the information button.

"Emmett. You're watching Clueless."

"Well…like I said…I just left it on the channel that you had it on last night!" I didn't say anything, I just looked at him and smiled. "Bella…please, _please_, don't say anything!"

"I won't say anything Emmett," I started to giggle, "but I don't think it really matters. They had to have heard you." I motioned toward the kitchen where Esme and Alice had been just moments before. Emmett gave me a small smile.

"Alice and Jasper left to hunt again about twelve seconds ago, Rosalie is in the garage, and Esme was paying attention to Food Network in the kitchen. So that leaves you." He spoke in a rush and his frantic eyes never left my face. I had to admit, I was a little intimidated by his gaze, but I tried to laugh it off.

"Um, relax Emmett. I won't tell anybody that you like Clueless."

"Sshhh! I don't _like_ it! I was just _watching_ it."

"Well, if you're done _watching_ it, do you mind if I change the channel?"

"Yeah go ahead, I need to go, um, talk to Rose anyway." Emmett jumped off the couch and fled the room. I was still laughing when Esme gracefully walked into the living room with a tray of juice, bacon, slices of apple and orange, buttered toast, and enough scrambled eggs to feed Texas. I blushed as she set down my food and handed me a fork.

"Bon appetit."

"Thank you, it all looks wonderful." I gave a small smile and sat up to reach the tray. Esme stayed for my first bite of eggs, and when I gave her my _it's delicious _face, she smiled and went back to the kitchen. I ate as much as I could. I always felt rude when I didn't eat _all_ the food that Esme would prepare for me, but she made _so much_ of it, most times I couldn't help but leave some. After I had stuffed myself to _beyond_ capacity, I took the tray back to the kitchen. Esme was no longer there and I assumed she had gone upstairs or outside. With my hearing, the Cullens could be anywhere besides the room I was in and I wouldn't know it. Actually, they could be in the same room as me and I still probably wouldn't hear them. But usually they made some sort of noise whenever they neared me, or when they were leaving. I imagined that this was a consideration solely for my benefit. They knew it would make me more comfortable if I was aware of their presence instead of constantly being surprised by their _every_ move.

I shoved the dishes into the dishwasher and went back to the living room. It wasn't even 6:30 yet and I was getting anxious. When would Edward be back? I didn't even know when he had left, so I had no idea when to expect him. Emmett was right about the tv, Clueless was ending and there wasn't anything else coming on that I cared to watch. After scrolling through the channels for the second time, I decided on Survivorman and curled up with my pillows to learn how to endure a week in Antarctica. The host had just woken up to day two when I closed my eyes…

_I was standing in the center and all around me was flat and white. Snow covered everything, but it was hard and solid. I looked up and there was no sky, it was all just white. I was dressed in pajamas, but I wasn't really cold. I looked down at my feet and there was something colored underneath them, but it was faded. I bent down to brush at the surface of the object, but it was smooth and solid. Ice. I was standing on ice. I swept away the flakes of snow and peered through the foggy glass. The object had a face, a familiar face. It was Edward. I wasn't scared though, he was smiling at me through the ice. I bent down to see him more clearly. As I peered through the ice, he motioned with his finger, beckoning me to come closer. I knelt on the ice and put my hands down to steady myself. Once again he motioned with his finger, but I didn't move, I was suddenly afraid. I moved to stand up, but his expression changed, as he saw me moving away, an evil smile spread across his pale face. He motioned to me once more and then pressed his face against the underside of the ice. It was at the moment when his lips touched the bottom of the ice in a frozen kiss that I heard the sickening crack. In a sudden rush, the ice buckled beneath me and I plunged into the frozen water. The water was so cold; it was like knives stabbing every part of me. I thrashed about wildly; fighting my way to the top, to the air. But just before I broke the surface, two arms crushed into my sides and pulled me into a painful embrace. I let out the last of my air in a silent scream as Edward pulled us down into the frozen darkness…_


	5. Chapter 5

"Bella! Bella! Wake up! It's just a dream, wake up!" Edward shook me, desperately attempting to be gentle and forceful at the same time as he tried to wake me. I started to bolt upright, but he held me down. "Relax Bella, just relax, it was only a dream. You're okay, you're safe." I looked around me wildly, expecting to see nothing but white. It took me a few minutes to realize where I was. Someone had moved me from the couch to the bed in my room and I was warm under the blankets. I took a moment to focus on reality; the room was dark except for a soft glow from the fireplace. I turned to Edward's anxious face, hovering above mine. He had one hand on my shoulder and another cradling the side of my face.

"Edward?"

"It's alright Bella, you just had a bad dream, everything's fine." He bent down slightly to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. "You were dreaming about ice this time." Edward always liked to discuss my dreams after I woke up. He said that talking about my dreams would help me to not be so scared of them, but I imagine that was only part of the reason. Edward couldn't read my mind, but when I spoke out loud in my dreams, it was like he could listen to my thoughts for brief, broken periods. I always thought that this was the real reason he wanted to discuss my dreams; he had heard bits and pieces of the dreams, and afterward, he wanted to know all the details that I could remember. "Did you fall through the ice?" Edward prompted me again, "Is that why you were so frightened?"

"I'm not sure if I fell," I whispered hesitantly, "I think something pulled me under."

"Pulled you under?"

"Yes, the ice cracked and then I was in the water. I tried to swim to the surface, but then…" I didn't want to finish, I had just remembered exactly what, or rather _who_, had kept me under the surface and I didn't want to say it out loud.

"But then…what?" Edward was waiting for my summary of the dream as patiently as he could, but I could tell that he was losing his ability.

"Well, then something grabbed me and pulled me down to the bottom, and then I woke up." I gave my quick explanation and hoped furiously that he wouldn't ask what had pulled me down. But instead he asked a different question that was just as bad.

"Where was I?"

"What?" I panicked as I realized that I might have said his name out loud during the dream.

"You said my name. Once at the beginning, like you were curious, but then at the end you were screaming for me." Edward bowed his head and avoided my eyes and whispered, "Or screaming _at_ me."

"Edward," I ran my hand through his hair and he gently rested his chin on my shoulder. "It was just a stupid dream. I only dreamt about ice because I fell asleep to some arctic survivor show. It didn't mean anything." I hoped that my explanation would placate him, but of course, I was wrong. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Bella, what exactly did I do in the dream?" Now it was my turn to take an equally deep breath.

"You were…just…under the water with me. That's all…I saw you under the ice…and then you were in the water with me." I waited silently for his reply; I couldn't tell if he would let this go or make it more than it really was. I should have known the answer though.

"So I was what pulled you under the ice." Edward rolled off me and landed on his back, then suddenly, he was sitting up; his legs crossed in front of him and his hand pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes remained shut. "_And_ I can assume that I was the 'something' that pulled you away from the surface to drown you." His voice was barely a whisper; I had to strain to hear him. I sat up next to him and pulled gently on his arm.

"Edward," he didn't move a single muscle, he was like a block of stone sitting next to me. I pulled harder, trying to remove his hand from his face so I could see his eyes. "Edward. Stop it." I pulled with most of my strength, but he refused to budge.

I couldn't stand it when he did this; when he wouldn't let me see his face; his eyes. It made me feel ignored and unwanted; irrational feelings, but they were there anyway. The worst feeling was helplessness. I knew that I was essentially helpless against most things in this world, but I had Edward. He was my protector, and he would save me, no matter what. It was his constant protection that quelled my helplessness, but when he refused to acknowledge me like this, I felt like my protector was abandoning me, and I was once again helpless against the world. I knew there was nothing that I could do physically to make him look at me, so I gave up and let go of his arm. He would come back to me when he was ready; when he had finished whatever internal argument he was fighting. I would just have to wait. I pulled my knees into my chest, put my arms around them, and rested my head on top. I was prepared to wait, but there was just one thing I felt I needed to say. It came out as no more than a whisper, but I knew he heard me. "I'm sorry Edward. I'm sorry I have dreams like that." It was all I could think to say. I sat there, waiting for him to unfreeze, and I jumped when he spoke.

"It's not _your_ fault Bella," he took a deep breath and removed his hand. He rested his head on the headboard but his eyes were still shut, "It's not your fault." Neither of us said anything more. We simply sat there together, not moving, not speaking. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it should be; sitting in silence with Edward. It felt almost…natural; as if we did it all the time. After a few minutes I closed my eyes as well. Some time later I shivered; I had been warm under the blankets, but the air in the room was cold. Edward felt me shiver and I stayed still while he gently gathered me up in his arms and pulled us both under the blankets. I was hesitant to move closer to him; afraid that he was still brooding. My fears dissipated as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in close along the length of his body. He bent his head and spoke softly in my ear.

"I'm sorry Bella. It was incredibly rude of me to refuse you like that…I don't expect your clemency." I said nothing, but snuggled my face into his neck and placed a soft kiss at the base of his throat. I heard him sigh as he moved his free hand up my back and let it tangle in my hair. "Am I to assume that was a sign of my undeserved forgiveness?"

"You may assume exactly that." I placed another kiss on his throat and moved back so I could see his face. "Better now?" I asked tentatively to test his mood. He bent his head and kissed my nose.

"Much better, thanks to you." He gave me a crooked smile and I knew that he was fine again. I ducked my head and nestled into his chest.

"So, how was dinner?" He laughed at my casual tone.

"Dinner was fine, but I was lonely."

"I thought Carlisle was with you?"

"He was, but you weren't. I could be in a crowd of thousands and feel utterly alone without you there next to me." He ran his hand absently up and down my back and I sighed at his pleasant touch.

"Hmm, you're back now though." I put my hands on his chest and breathed in the scent of him as he buried his face in my hair and did the same.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long." I wondered just how long he had been away.

"What time is it?" I couldn't see the clock and darkness in this place often meant a snow storm, not nightfall.

"It's 7:15." I stared up at him with a puzzled look. "What, is something wrong?"

"It's only 7:15? I thought I had slept longer than that." I yawned and stretched, I certainly felt like I had slept longer than 45 minutes.

"Good grief Bella, is 13 hours not enough for you? How long were you planning to sleep exactly?" Did he say 13 hours? That couldn't be right. I wondered briefly if I was still dreaming.

"What do you mean 13 hours? You said it was only 7:15."

"It is 7:15…P.M. Bella you've been asleep all day. You haven't gotten sick have you?" Edward placed a cool hand on my forehead and frowned at the thought of me being ill. "You don't feel sick, and you don't smell any different. How are you feeling? Do you have any other symptoms? How long have you been feeling ill? Perhaps Carlisle should take a look at you, you may need antibiotics…" Edward was in full _over protective, certified doctor_ mode. It only took me a moment to remember the pills that I had taken this morning.

"Edward I'm not sick," I put my hand over his mouth to get his attention, "I took a couple of those motion sickness pills really early this morning to help me fall asleep and I guess they lasted a little longer than I had expected." Edward sighed and I removed my hand, but he grasped it and pulled it back to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on each of my fingers before releasing my hand.

"So you're not sick then?" The concern was evident in his eyes.

"No, it was just the pills. I guess I wasted the whole day, huh?" I curled in closer to Edward and rested my face against his chest. He pulled me into him even tighter and nuzzled his face into my hair, breathing deeply in and out.

"You certainly did. I tried to wake you several times, but you were sleeping so soundly, I thought perhaps you had been unable to sleep after I left and were making up for the lost time. Why did you take those pills? You know anything to do with falling asleep or staying awake usually has a particularly strong effect on you." I couldn't argue with that, Edward was right. Caffeine could make me into an entirely different person, energized, ambitious, and certifiably insane. And apparently, drowsy motion sickness pills could make me, well, deceased for the day.

"Well actually I _couldn't_ sleep after you left," I felt Edward instantly tense at my words. I realized too late that he would feel guilty because he had left me. I put a hand on his chest and looked up at him, "Edward, don't do that. I'm not mad at you for leaving, and you shouldn't feel bad about it. I know you have to go and it doesn't even bother me." Only the last part was a lie. "I just woke up and when you weren't there I sort of panicked for a second, but then Esme came in and I fell off the bed and after that I was pretty much wide awake so –"

"YOU FELL OFF THE BED!?!" Edward pushed me away from him so he could inspect me for injuries. I laughed as his hands moved over my arms and legs, checking for fractures and broken bones.

"Edward I'm fine, I landed on my back and it hardly even hurt. And Esme was there to pick me up in like two seco – ouch!" Edward froze with his hand over the bruise on my leg from the remote that Emmett had thrown at me.

"So you only hurt your back, huh?" He lowered his hand and barely brushed my skin along the length of the bruise.

"No…well yes…but that's not from the fall…that's from Emmett – "

"EMMETT!?!" Edward was suddenly enraged. I was afraid that he would jump off the bed and attack Emmett if I didn't explain quickly. My words came out in a jumbled mess.

"But wait, it wasn't his fault! We were on the couch and there was nothing on TV and he threw the remote at me so I could change the channel but I didn't catch it, so it hit my leg, but it didn't even really hurt!"

"Oh yes I can see that it doesn't hurt at all," Edward mocked my pitiful explanation, but he seemed to be more calm. He took a few deep breaths, sighed, and pulled me to him again, "Were there any other injuries today that I should know about?" I thought through this morning's events quickly and smiled as I remembered one more injury.

"Well, I bit my tongue while I was eating breakfast, but other than that…" Edward chuckled softly and kissed my forehead.

"How can so many things happen to you in such a short time? Only my little danger magnet could have such bad luck." He placed another soft kiss on my nose, and then another on each side of my face, and finally he put his lips to mine. Normally I wouldn't like being called a _danger magnet_, it was insulting. But somehow _my little danger magnet_ wasn't bad at all; it was protective, and it was possessive, and I liked it. I smiled into the kiss and frowned when Edward pulled away. Edward saw my frown and smiled lightly, "I'm sorry love, but it is quite difficult to focus when I have Alice screaming at me in my head to get you out of the house." Not a full second after he finished speaking, Alice burst into the room and flicked on the light.

"Bella! You need to get in the shower," when I didn't move from Edward's embrace, not even to glance in her direction, she added, "right now Bella!" and yanked on my arm to pull me out of the bed.

"Ugh, fine Alice! You don't have to detach my arm." I grumbled all the way into the bathroom and heard Edward growl as Alice shoved me in and closed the door. I quickly finished in the shower and when I stepped out I saw Alice's clothes waiting for me in a neat stack on the counter; the cape hanging on a hook on the door. I took my time blow drying my hair and then traded my towel for the funeral garb. I opened the bathroom door to find Alice blocking my way. "Alice, I'm already dressed and I _promise_ not to change clothes. Now let me go find Edward."

"He's waiting for you outside and you're not ready yet." Alice pushed me back into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Ugh. What now?" I mumbled as she sat me down in front of the long vanity mirror. Alice ignored my comments while she got busy on my hair. I was surprised when, after less than five minutes, Alice backed up and said I was finished. She had simply pinned up the front of my hair and let the rest hang down my back and shoulders in soft, bouncing curls.

"_Now_ you're ready! Oh you're going to have such a good time Bella! When I first saw it I thought it would be boring, but it's just perfect for you and Edward!" She was dancing and jumping around in front of me like a puppy; I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay! You don't want to keep Edward waiting; you'll get there right on time." And before I could ask what we would be on time for, Alice pushed me out of the bathroom and tied the cloak around my shoulders.

"Alice this thing is so heavy; can't I just wear my coat?" Alice gasped and froze in the hallway.

"Isabella Swan!" I just stared at her, waiting for the rest of the words that suddenly came out in a rush, "After I have spent all this time trying to make this the most perfect evening and you want to ruin it all by wearing that hideous puffy coat. I swear Bella; will you forever be challenged in fashion?" I knew that this argument could get very long, very quickly, so I threw up my hands in defeat.

"Alright Alice, you win. Relax, I'll wear it." Alice gave me a dazzling smile and kissed me on the cheek before she pushed me out the front door and into the frozen winter air.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks so much to those of you who review! I LOVE reading your opinions!! And thanks to my "chapter checker" for making sure I'm not getting too ooc or adding things that don't make sense! **

The cold air poured over me and I took in a ragged breath. I was standing on the porch that surrounded the cabin, and after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see Edward waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. He too was dressed in dark clothing; which made his pale skin seem to glow white, especially in the light of the moon. I walked to the edge of the stairs and made my way down cautiously, afraid there would be ice. I didn't slip until the second to last step and of course Edward caught me immediately. I gave him a look and he smiled while pulling the cloak tighter to cover my whole body and lifted the hood over my head. "Relax Bella, you won't be doing any more walking tonight." And with that, Edward turned around and pulled me onto his back. "Keep your head down so your hood will stay on, I don't want our little outing to give you a cold." I did as I was instructed and closed my eyes. Within seconds I knew that we were running. I could feel Edward's swift, even movements underneath me. I could also feel the rush of frozen air tearing past us as we flew through the forest surrounding the cabin. I wondered briefly if we would come across any of the Cullens out here. That seemed unlikely though; Edward's surprises were usually solo affairs, not that I was complaining. I was surprised to find that I wasn't really cold. Alice was right about her cloak, it was keeping me quite warm, even as the wind whipped past. After a few minutes I began wondering where it was that Edward was taking me. Usually he didn't have to run very long before we reached our destination. It had already been several minutes and he was still running strong. Either this place was very far away, or he was running slower than usual. I tried to ignore my excitement and instead focused on the steady breathing coming from Edward.

Finally I felt the wind slow and I knew that Edward was coming to a stop. I kept my head down and didn't loosen my grip on his neck until he gently pulled on my arm. "Bella, love, we're here." I opened my eyes and slid down off his back; letting my hood fall back.

"And where exactly is _here_?" I couldn't see anything significant. We were still in the forest, surrounded by trees, the moon shone overhead and there was a light dusting of powder on the ground, but it was not snowing now.

"We're going in there." Edward pointed to an opening in what looked like a wall of rock.

"What's in there?" I had to admit, I was getting a little nervous. I could imagine quite a few things that would be hiding in a dark cave in the middle of the winter woods. Edward heard the shake in my voice and soothed my anxiety.

"Nothing that can hurt you, trust me." I looked up at him as he took my hand and pulled us forward.

"I thought you said I wouldn't be walking at all tonight."

"Well, you won't be walking without me holding on to you." I smiled at the thought of being held by Edward's strong, protective arms all night. When we approached the entrance Edward spoke again, "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet. There's nothing inside that can hurt you, but noise could become a disturbance."

I swallowed loudly and whispered, "Okay." Edward squeezed my hand reassuringly and together we crossed the threshold and entered. It was very dark and I could barely make out the walls of the cave. I instinctively moved closer to Edward and he wrapped his arm around my waist to guide me forward. After walking for what felt like a half hour, Edward finally bent his head and whispered in my ear.

"Do you see the light ahead?" I strained my eyes and thought I could see a very distant glow.

"Um, maybe." I whispered back to him. I heard a soft chuckle next to me.

"A few more minutes then." We walked slowly; Edward was giving me plenty of time to feel safe in the darkness. After a short time I could see the glow more pronounced now and began to quicken my pace. There really was no need to walk slowly; every time that there was some sort of obstacle in the path, Edward would pick me up and lift me over it, even if it was as small as a stray rock lying in the way. The cave was lighter now; it was almost glowing, as was Edward beside me. A soft white light seemed to emanate from every inch of his exposed skin. Finally we stopped at the last curve before we saw the source of the light. Edward turned me in front of him and whispered in my ear, "Close your eyes Bella; I want it to be a surprise." I gave him a long look and closed my eyes. I felt Edward pick me up and move the last few steps out of the cave. He set me down gently and then stood behind me; his arms encircling my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder. "Okay Bella, open your eyes." I slowly opened my eyes and gasped at the sight surrounding me. I had been wrong; we hadn't left the cave, but we were in a larger, more open section. The walls and floor were all covered in smooth ice and moonlight filtered in from all directions. But the most wonderful part was the rainbow sparkles that were dancing over every inch of the space and every inch of me. Alice had been right about the black clothing; the drops of light seemed to be even brighter as they skipped over the fabric. I felt Edward smile as he placed a gentle kiss on my neck. "Please Bella; tell me what you're thinking."

"Edward…how?" I couldn't even speak in complete sentences; I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of this place.

"Look up Bella." I immediately jerked my head up and shrunk back from what I saw. Edward felt my reaction. "Don't be afraid, I won't let anything hurt you." I suddenly understood why Edward had insisted that we whisper. Hanging precariously above us were thousands of razor sharp icicles. I was terrified that at any moment one might fall and impale me, but as they were fatally perilous, they were unbelievably beautiful. The moonlight filtered in from hundreds of holes and cracks and reflected off the icicles to create the millions of dancing sparkles that filled the space. I wanted to look around me at the diamonds of light, but I was too afraid to look away from the icicles; afraid that if I looked away, they might fall. "Bella, it's alright. If any of them were to fall I'd be able to get you out of here fast enough." Edward tried to sooth me but I was still unsure; could he really outrun gravity? He seemed to sense my indecision, "And even if I couldn't get out fast enough; I'd just cover you myself." I turned my face and gave him a questioning look. "Ice can't hurt stone Bella." He said simply, as if the idea of him being injured was absolutely ludicrous. I gave him a small smile and returned to gazing around us. I tentatively reached out my hand in front of me and watched as drops of colored light moved over it.

"Why did you bring me here Edward?" He turned his face into my hair and breathed deeply before he sighed.

"Whenever you and I do something in the sunlight, even though I don't understand it, I always feel like you wish your skin was like mine." I was surprised by his answer; I never knew that he had noticed how I obsessed over his skin in the sunlight. It was so beautiful, especially compared to mine. "And while _I_ know that you are perfect the way you are, when I found this place I couldn't help but think of what you would look like, covered in spots of light. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you too." Edward slowly ran his hand down the length of my outstretched arm and covered my hand with his own; intertwining our fingers. "See, now we both sparkle." I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this place and this creature who had brought me here. There weren't words for how amazing and utterly fantastic it all was.

"Edward…I love you." I whispered simply. There was nothing else that I could say. Edward sighed and turned me to face him. He placed a hand on the back of my neck and cupped my face with the other before he pulled me to him for a tender kiss. Too soon, he pulled away, but his lips remained less than an inch from mine while he spoke.

"Isabella. My only love. Will you dance with me?" I was overcome by the intensity of his gaze and in serious danger of passing out; he was almost _too_ dazzling. I took in a ragged breath which earned a small crooked smile.

"I will dance with you." I whispered slowly and saw Edward's eyes darken from a vibrant, light amber, to a much deeper gold. He took my hand and placed it on his chest, then he clasped my other hand and wound his other around my waist. It only took a moment for me to forget my fears of dancing when I was with Edward. He had been right; it was all in the leading; and what an incredible leader he was. He kept the dance slow this time, spinning us around the large space at a lazy, comfortable speed. I felt like a princess, dressed in a cape, dancing with a god in a room filled with floating diamonds of light. Edward looked…hungry. But I wasn't afraid, he looked at me like I was the most important creature on earth; the only creature on earth. He tilted his head upward for a moment and gazed at the sky. I felt him take in a deep breath and wondered if he had caught the scent of someone or something in the forest. "Edward?" He returned his gaze to me and smiled.

"Bella close your eyes." I didn't hesitate this time. I was more than ready for anything that he had planned for us. I felt him release my hand and bend to gather me up in his arms. I wound my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. Just seconds later he set me down and brought me back to our dancing position, only this time he had lifted me up onto his feet. "Alright, open your eyes." And when I did I couldn't help but gasp, once again, at the sight surrounding me. We were outside in a small open patch, closely surrounded by the thick forest. There was snow and ice covering every inch of ground and blanketing every tree. I looked above us and saw only the bright moon shining down. Edward released my hand for a moment while he pulled up my hood and placed it delicately on my head. Then he grasped my hand again and stood very still, just looking at me.

"Edward, is something wrong?"

"Just a little more time Bella." He sighed and gave me a small smile.

"A little more time for what?" I was confused as I stood on his feet in the middle of a clearing, not moving. Edward took one last look at the sky and then drew in a deep breath.

"And here it comes." I was about to ask, but suddenly I saw little white spots floating around us. It was snowing. Edward began dancing us gracefully around the clearing and I couldn't help the smile that overtook my face. As he spun us around effortlessly he spoke softly in my ear, "Has anyone ever told you that you look…breathtaking…in the moonlight?"

"Edward," I whispered, "how did you do this?"

"Well, I had some help from a very accurate little weathergirl." Edward smiled and I reminded myself to thank Alice later.

"This is the most…amazing…beautiful…incredible…" Edward didn't let me finish. He stopped our dance and gathered me into a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer as my hands greedily moved to his hair. Edward's hand on my waist wove around me and he pulled me against him, lifting me off his feet completely. His free hand pulled down my hood, tangled in my hair and gripped the back of my neck. I could feel snow flakes landing on my skin and could even taste a few that had landed near our mouths, but my focus was on Edward; his mouth, his lips, his hands. When I started to feel short of breath, he left my mouth and began kissing down the length of my neck; giving me time to breathe. I opened my eyes and stared at the moon through the falling snow. I felt Edward's cool tongue on my neck as he licked the length of my vein. Then I felt his lips move against my skin as he spoke without removing himself from me.

"We should go back soon Bella." I groaned at the thought of leaving my new favorite place. Edward chuckled at my reluctance. "Or we could stay, but I'm not sure how long you'll hold up in a blizzard." He kissed a short trail up my neck and placed a final, soft kiss on my lips before hugging me close against him and lowering me to stand on his feet again.

"I don't want to leave…ever." I whispered into his chest.

"We'll come back, when the weather is a bit more cooperative."

"Promise?"

"Of course my angel." Edward released his hold on my waist and lifted me effortlessly onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss behind his ear.

"You can run faster this time." I whispered.

"You noticed that, did you?"

"It was nice, but I know you like to go as fast as you can, it's more exciting." Edward lifted my hand and placed a tender kiss on the back.

"You're too good to me." He returned my hand to his neck and hiked up my legs, "Close your eyes Bella." I did as I was told and immediately felt the wind and snow whipping past my face and arms. The cloak was billowing out behind me, but Edward didn't seem to mind. I could practically feel his excitement seeping through his skin and into my own. The run was exhilarating. Edward quickly slowed to a walk when we reached the cabin and by then it was snowing full force. Big, fat flakes were collecting on every surface, including him and I. Edward opened the door for me and lifted the heavy cloak from my shoulders. The living room was lit only by the Christmas tree in the corner and the giant fireplace crackling on the opposite wall. The cabin was silent and I imagined that Edward had probably arranged this with his family so we would be sure to be alone. Edward removed his own coat and picked me up to sit on his lap on the couch. I rested my head on his shoulder and pulled his hand into mine. After only a few moments of silence he asked me his favorite question. "What are you thinking?" I smiled and breathed in the scent of him.

"You made me feel amazing today, like a princess, like the most important thing in the world."

"You're a princess to me, and absolutely the most important thing in my world." Edward pulled me into his embrace and gently kissed my forehead.

"I love you Edward."

"As I love you." And we sat there in the soft light, breathing in the scent of each other. Eventually I felt sleep drifting over me and was vaguely aware of Edward standing and carrying me to our room. I was nearly asleep as he put me in bed, removed my shoes and the clips from my hair, and arranged the blankets over me. I felt him slide into the bed next to me and I turned on my side to curl in closer to him. I felt him kiss my forehead and then my lips as I drifted off to dream about dancing in the snow and floating diamonds and my beautiful Edward.


	7. Chapter 7

"_Bella, it's been too long, I have to feed." Edward shoved me away but I felt no pain. I looked into his eyes and saw the blackness of hunger taking over them. Where was I? The forest, it was snowing, but I felt no cold as I stood barefoot, up to my ankles in the frozen white powder. I looked down at my feet, but they were invisible; buried beneath the snow. It was strange; the sensation that I was standing on something, but not able to see what it was. I tried to wiggle my toes beneath the snow, but they were numb, everything was numb, I felt nothing. I couldn't move, not a single muscle. I saw a hand slowly reach out to me. I felt warmth as the hand caressed my skin and pulled my face upward. I felt myself smile as I saw him again; my beautiful Edward, with skin as pale as the snow surrounding us, and eyes a deep… my smile turned to horror when I saw his eyes. He watched the change in my expression and I felt the absence of his hand as my head fell; returning my gaze to the ground, but the snow was no longer white. Liquid, as red as his eyes, was spilling out onto the white snow, staining it. I watched, motionless, as blood pooled around my ankles; slowly melting the snow and revealing my feet. I became curious now, as I began to recognize the stone underneath my feet; a small square of white stone, now covered in red, with the engraved letters emerging, still white. A name was etched into the marble, but I couldn't see it clearly. _

"_Bella." Suddenly I could move again as I jerked my head up to follow the sound of his whisper. But I saw nothing, no one. "Bella." I spun around and caught a glimpse of pale skin before he disappeared. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could hear him breathing next to me….. "Bella." My eyes snapped open and I saw him running away from me. _

"_EDWARD!" I screamed his name and took a step off of the white stone to follow after him. But there was nothing to stand on now. The snow and ice buckled beneath me and I could suddenly feel the stabbing pain of frozen water surrounding me. I thrashed about wildly, but there was nothing to hold onto; nothing to save me. _

_I saw him then, walking slowly back to me, an agonized expression on his beautiful face. I cried out for him as I sunk deeper into the water, but he didn't hear me as he passed by. He stopped a few feet away and knelt down, placing something on the ground, "I'm sorry Isabella, I'm sorry I couldn't stop," then he gracefully stood, and began to walk slowly away. As the water crept up my face I saw the single flower he had placed on the snow, and I released my last breath as I saw the name on the stone, my name. _

_The water covered my eyes and moments later I was completely submerged. I kept my eyes open, but could see nothing, there was only darkness. "Bella." How could I still hear him? Was he here with me, unseen in this blackness? "Bella!" He was getting louder, but I could see nothing, everywhere I looked, there was nothing. Suddenly something grabbed my arm and I opened my mouth to scream, but I heard no sound released. "BELLA!"_

I was suddenly aware of hands on my arms, gripping me, shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and saw Edward leaning over me, a pained look on his face. "Edward?" I whispered to him in the darkness of our room, not entirely sure of what had just happened. He looked over me cautiously then gave a relieved sigh and relaxed his hands on my arms. I felt the blood rush through my arms again and grimaced at the thought of the bruises I would certainly have in a few hours. My grimace slowly gave way to a blush as I realized the position that Edward and I were in. He was on top of me, straddling my hips with his long legs, his hands resting, gently now, on both my arms; effectively pinning me to the bed.

"Bella, are you alright?" He whispered above me, never once moving his eyes from mine. I took a deep breath and released it slowly, needing the air, and also knowing that he would enjoy my scent, my _bouquet, _as he called it. His reaction was obvious.

I instantly felt the intense heat of my blush spread over my entire body, and I saw Edward react to the increased warmth covering every inch of me. He had stopped breathing already, but I still heard the small, short gasp before he quickly bent down closer to me. He rested his head at the base of my neck and hugged the length of my torso with his arms. It was a strange sensation; every inch that our skin met, even underneath the clothes that we each wore, there was ice and fire, meeting, merging. Edward was covering me, yet I barely felt an ounce of his weight; even in this new, exciting position, he was still mindful of my fragile body. I tried my best to concentrate on the simple task of breathing, but my mind kept returning to the feeling of electricity flowing from the place that our centers nearly touched. Even with two layers of clothing separating our bare skin, my body was still reacting with him so close. I wondered briefly how Edward was able to control his body; especially when something as small as my breath exhaled in his direction could earn a reaction from him.

I shivered when Edward slipped his fingers underneath my t-shirt and began tracing small, invisible circles on the skin of my hip. I willed myself to remain calm as he slid his head across the length of my collarbone, resting it directly above my heart. "Can you…feel that?" he said quietly. I took a moment to register his words; I was feeling a million things, each of them wonderful and amazing in this moment.

"I feel lots of things." I whispered back to him and felt the smile spread across his face.

"I was referring to the sensation between our skin." He stopped his circling fingers and spread his hand wide, resting it flat against the bare skin of my waist. "Everywhere I touch you, I feel this…_something_ flowing between us. I'm unable to describe it with words, it's like an intensity; a heat, but with no increased temperature…well, besides yours of course." I closed my eyes and tried to form a coherent sentence.

"I can feel it, like some sort of electricity wherever you touch me." I took a deep breath and slowly released it, "It's stronger in some places…" I froze as I felt Edward react again to my exhaled air flowing over him. I had stopped breathing and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Edward's hands slowly crept up the length of me, returning their grip on my arms.

"Bella…" His voice was barely audible, and I could feel him starting to shake; vibrating my body. "Bella, I want…I want to…NO!" Instantly he was gone; my body still surging with my need for him. I heard the splintering of wood, and in the dim light of the dying fire, I saw the bed canopy collapse on top of me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the impact of the wooden framed canopy, but instead, I let out a small yelp as I felt something launch me off the side of the bed, and then strong arms catch me before I hit the ground. I heard a door close and I opened my eyes when I felt myself being set down.

We were in the bathroom. I was sitting on the countertop, my legs dangling over, and Edward was standing in front of me. It was too dark; I could barely see anything. I stretched out my arms toward his figure, but I couldn't reach him. Edward came forward and caught me as I started to slide off the edge of the counter reaching for him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. I began to feel the familiar, intense sensation as he moved closer still; standing between my legs as they hung off the edge of the counter and draped along the sides of his own. "Edward?" I whispered into the skin of his shoulder as I absently played with his hair at the base of his neck.

Edward mirrored my position; gently resting his head on my exposed shoulder, with his arms encircling my body and reaching upward to wrap in my long hair. I felt, more than heard his response as he quietly hummed, "mmhmm?" I could tell he was in control; he no longer shook and he was breathing again.

"Did you just break the bed?" I asked him matter-of-factly. I felt his smile against my skin and heard him laugh quietly as he said, "Well the bed is still intact, but I'm afraid I've destroyed the canopy. I hope you weren't very attached to it." I gave him a small, light kiss on the side of his neck.

"So will I be sleeping in the bathroom for the rest of our vacation then?"

Edward couldn't help but laugh as he pulled away from me to kiss my forehead, "I'll buy you a new one tomorrow…one _without_ a canopy I think." And with that he scooped me up; my legs gripping his waist and my arms around his neck. I pulled my face back and looked at his eyes as he carried me out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom and down one of the long halls.

I was preparing myself for a long night on the couch when I noticed we had already passed the hallway going to the living room. "Are you lost?"

"Bella, I _know_ that you don't think I would make you sleep on a couch." Edward smiled at me and gave me a small kiss. I turned my head around to see that we were approaching a door at the end of the hallway. He supported my weight with one hand and opened the heavy wooden door. I couldn't help the small gasp that escaped my lips.

"I always thought this was a closet." I gaped at the length of the hallway stretching before us. "How _big _is this place?"

"Well we almost never use this part of the house anymore, but, years ago, we used to entertain quite a few guests here, so we needed the extra room back then."

"All those doors are more _bedrooms_?" I asked with disbelief as Edward closed the door behind us and began walking down the long aisle. There must have been twenty doors in this hallway, each of them with the most ornate, decorative designs carved into the wood.

"Yes Bella, all bedrooms." Edward laughed at my surprise, "But you probably wouldn't like many of them; their decorations are a bit more…_primitive_…than you are accustomed to."

"What do you mean primitive? Do you have loincloths and fig leaves in the closets or what?" At this, Edward sighed and took us several steps back. He stopped in front of a large door and I examined the carvings; they were stunning renditions of ferocious beasts that appeared to be jumping out toward us. Edward opened the door slowly and stepped inside, keeping his foot against the door and letting in some light from the hall. In the limited light, it took me a moment to realize what they were, but Edward knew the moment I did. I shrank back into him and he held me tightly. "Edward, are all the rooms like this?" I whispered, unable to take my eyes off of the dozens of stuffed animal heads snarling down at me from every direction. I had never seen so many teeth before, they were all a brilliant white, and the light seemed to drip off their razor sharp edges. Edward pulled us back into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind us. He returned his hand under my leg, with his other resting on my back and I leaned back to look at his face.

"I told you Bella; primitive. But don't worry, I have a much nicer room in mind for you tonight. It's still not as modern as our original choice, but I have a feeling you'll approve." I leaned into him again and returned my head to his shoulder as he walked us down the hall; pausing at one of the last doors. I thought about closing my eyes; I was exhausted and I just wanted a bed, but I wouldn't be able to sleep with severed heads staring down at me. Edward shifted me to his left hand and reached forward to open the door. Before I could think to close my eyes, I turned my head to see inside the room. My mouth hung open as Edward slowly released his hold on me and let me slide down the length of him, resting me on my own feet.

"Wow…" was all I could think to say. Edward laughed quietly as he shut the door and watched me move to the center of the massive room. Even without much light, I could see the outline of the bed, and I wondered silently if it was actually two beds pushed together. "I've never seen a bed this big." I walked to the edge of the colossal mass of pillows and blankets and ran my hand along the smooth fabric.

"You probably can't see well enough in here," Edward began crossing the room and I spoke up in protest.

"No, I don't want the lights on, it looks better like this." The shadows were giving the whole room a surreal look, and my exhaustion was only adding to the effect.

"I was thinking of natural light actually." Edward reached the far edge of the room and threw open the immense drapes; letting in a flood of moonlight. I staggered back when I could see the length of the windows, and with the added light I could make out the ceiling above us…it must have been twenty feet high, maybe more. And as my eyes followed the expanse of the ceiling, I saw what was hanging in the center of the room. I could feel Edward watching my reaction to the grandiose of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It had to be at least five feet wide with two smaller, connecting chandeliers hanging on either side, and different shaped crystals dripping off every surface. "Bella, close your mouth, it's just a decoration." Edward startled me when he whispered in my ear; I hadn't heard his approach. I closed my mouth, but I couldn't stop staring, it was breathtaking.

"Edward, is that thing, is it…real?"

"Did you think it was plastic, Bella?" Edward chuckled at my question, and I realized that was his answer.

"That thing is worth more than my life isn't it?" There wasn't even a moment's pause before Edward answered severely.

"Absolutely not." He turned me around to face him, forcing my eyes away from the monstrosity on the ceiling. He stared into my eyes and gave me a moment to focus before caressing the side of my face with the back of his cool hand. "Isabella Swan, your life has no monetary value, you're worth more than money, you're worth more than the world, more than life itself." I was stunned by the ferocity and sincerity of his words. I could only swallow and continue breathing erratically. Edward moved closer and put a cold hand on my arm and another on the small of my back while he placed a soft kiss on my forehead. As he pulled away slowly I saw the smile playing at the edge of his lips, "Of course I couldn't really tell you a price even if I wanted to." I looked at him curiously, waiting for an explanation. "Let's just say, history has given up that particular decoration as lost in time."

"Is it famous?" I asked quietly.

"Bella, that chandelier belongs in a museum all by itself. You wouldn't believe me if I told you who it belonged to."

"I think you should tell me." I was intensely curious now about the origins of this incredible artifact.

"Well you know what I think?" He leaned in close and whispered into my ear; his cool breath spilling over my face, "I think it's time for you to go back to sleep." I drew in an unsteady breath and realized that he was supporting most of my weight; apparently my legs were not working. He released his hold on me slowly as I steadied myself and started moving toward the bed.

I sighed as I approached the side, "Is it really necessary for me to have _such_ high beds?" Edward laughed quietly and lifted me effortlessly onto the mattress; it was the softest thing I'd ever laid on. "I know _you_ like these beds for some reason, but it would be nice if I could actually get in it by myself."

"Only the first bed was my choice, Bella. It's only a coincidence that this one is also so high." Edward pulled the heavy blankets over me and in less than a second he was stretched out next to me. "Of course we could use the other room I showed you, I'm not sure if you saw that bed, but it's just a pile of animal pelts and furs. I'm sure you'd be able to climb into that one with ease." I scowled at him in the silvery moonlight pouring in from the wall of windows.

"I am _not_ sleeping in the mutilated animals room." I barely heard Edward's laughter as I yawned and let my eyes drift close. I turned to my side and snuggled up against the length of his cold body. He put his arms around me and pulled me even closer; burying his face in my hair and breathing deeply.

"It's unforgivably rude of me to keep you from your sleep, but I'm too curious Bella." I pulled my head away to look up at him questioningly. "When I woke you up, you were having another nightmare." I groaned internally at the mention of my dream. I didn't know why I was having so many dreams where Edward was involved in something horrible happening to me. "I don't suppose you remember what was happening?" Edward wasn't very good at masking his curiosity; I could hear the intense interest, even in his whisper. The details were already slipping away though as I tried to remember. And even if I _could_ remember; I hated seeing the look on his face when he would realize that he was the bad guy again in my dream.

"I don't really remember it, there was snow, and blood, and then I was drowning." I hoped he would be satisfied with the basics.

"Hmm, I'm beginning to think you have an unnatural fear of falling in icy water." Edward pulled me closer to him again and arranged the blankets tightly around me. I yawned and cuddled up next to him, breathing in his sweet aroma; the smell of him always helped me sleep. Edward took one of my hands and gave it a light kiss, but he didn't release it, he just held me. I curled my fingers around his and began to drift asleep in his arms. This was it, the most perfect moment; sleep overtaking me while I lay in the arms of my protector. "Sleep Bella, dream happy dreams; and don't worry, I'll be here to save you from your nightmares." I smiled slightly as Edward whispered into my ear and softly kissed my lips. Sleep came quickly when I began to hear the melody of my lullaby as he softly sang in my ear…


End file.
